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Let's take things back to basics.
We all want to be the best mums we can be, but that doesn't necessarily mean forking out loads of your hard-earned cash on baby gear.
You don’t have to spend your child’s college fund to care for them in infancy, so go shopping with a cynical eye and a calculator. Here are some of the things you definitely don’t need.
1. Shoes
Babies can’t walk. Booties and ‘pre-walkers’ only get lost and baby will end up with half a pair of everything like a tiny Cinderella. When they do start walking, going barefoot indoors strengthens arches and leg muscles, allowing spreading of the toes for optimum support.
2. Wipe warmer
These were popular in the US until a shedload got recalled for giving parents electric shocks. A warm, wet environment is a breeding ground for bacteria, and if baby gets used to heated wipes they’ll get an awful fright if you use cold ones when you’re out and about.
3. Fancy-schmancy outfits
Tiny clothes are impossibly dotey and you’ll get a load of flouncy gear as presents- usually from people who don’t have children. Function should override form for the first few months unless you want to spend your life undoing buttons and untangling your kid from layers of ruffles.
4. Bath thermometer
Seriously; don’t bother. Just use your elbow.
5. Pricey prams
You’re not navigating the Dakar rally; you only need it to go around the block. Do you really need twin spring-loaded cup holders and multilevel handbag hooks? Nah.
6. Nappy bins
A wholly unnecessary step between dirty nappy and garden wheelie bin; cut out the middleman, we say.
7. Door bouncer
Those yokes you clip onto door frames are actively discouraged by paediatricians as they make babies bounce in their toes and arch their backs unnaturally.
8. Heartbeat bears
Soft toys with a speaker inside meant to settle the baby by recreating heartbeat noises or swishing womb sounds- you’re actually better off not putting anything into the crib to avoid risk of suffocation.
Savvy mamas are happy to tap their network of friends for barely-used baby gear. There’s no need to fall prey to the latest ‘must-have’ gadget; all baby really needs is food; oodles of affection and your precious time.
